Vehicle lamp control apparatus

• US 8,905,604 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2011
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Koito Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Kasaba, Yusuke, Yamazaki, Masashi, Toda, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, THAI N
• Application Number:
  US13/314,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20120155098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 315/77, 315/79, 315/80, 315/82, 362/459, 362/460, 362/464, 362/465, 362/466
• US Class Current: 362/465
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/10 due to vehicle inclination, e.g. due to load distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 11/00 Arrangement of monitoring devices for devices provided for in groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2200/38 Automatic calibration of motor-driven means for adjusting headlamps, i.e. when switching on the headlamps, not during mounting at factories
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/114 Vehicle acceleration or deceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2300/132 Pitch

Abstract

A vehicle lamp control apparatus is provided with: a receiving portion for receiving output values of an acceleration sensor; a control portion for deriving a variation in an inclination angle of a vehicle based on the output values of the acceleration sensor and generating a control signal for instructing an optical axis adjustment of a vehicle lamp; and a transmitting portion for transmitting the control signal to an optical axis adjusting portion of the vehicle lamp. The control portion is configured to detect an error factor of the output values occurring in the acceleration sensor based on the output values of the acceleration sensor and to correct an optical axis position of the vehicle lamp.

Claims

1. A vehicle lamp control apparatus comprising:

a receiving portion adapted to receive output values of an acceleration sensor,

a control portion adapted to derive a variation in an inclination angle of a vehicle based on the output values of the acceleration sensor and to generate a control signal for instructing an optical axis adjustment of a vehicle lamp, and

a transmitting portion adapted to transmit the control signal to an optical axis adjusting portion of the vehicle lamp,

wherein the control portion is adapted to detect an error factor of the output values occurring in the acceleration sensor based on the output values of the acceleration sensor and to correct an optical axis position of the vehicle lamp,

wherein the receiving portion is adapted to receive a vehicle longitudinal direction acceleration and a vehicle vertical direction acceleration from the acceleration sensor,

wherein the control portion is adapted to plot the output values of the acceleration sensor at least in one of an accelerating condition and a decelerating condition of the vehicle in a time series manner, on coordinates where the vehicle longitudinal direction acceleration is set on a first axis and the vehicle vertical direction acceleration is set on a second axis, so as to derive a straight line from at least two of plotted points, and

wherein the control portion is adapted to determine the error factor based on a variation in a second axis intercept of the straight line.

2. The vehicle lamp control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the error factor is a temperature drift of the acceleration sensor, and

wherein the control portion is adapted to move the optical axis position of the vehicle lamp toward an initial set position, when the variation amount of the second axis intercept is within a range which is possibly occurred by the temperature drift and exceeding a range which is possibly occurred by a variation in the inclination angle of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle lamp control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the error factor is a position deviation of the acceleration sensor, and

wherein the control portion is adapted to move the optical axis position of the vehicle lamp toward an initial set position and to stop a generation of the control signal, when the variation amount of the second axis intercept is within a range which is possibly occurred by the position deviation and exceeding a range which is possibly occurred by a temperature drift of the acceleration sensor.

4. The vehicle lamp control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the error factor is a position deviation of the acceleration sensor, and

wherein the control portion is adapted to move the optical axis position of the vehicle lamp toward the initial set position and to stop a generation of the control signal, when the variation amount of the second axis intercept is within a range which is possibly occurred by the position deviation and exceeding the range which is possibly occurred by a temperature drift of the acceleration sensor.

5. The vehicle lamp control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control portion is adapted to determine the error factor based on a variation in the second axis intercept from which a variation component of the second axis intercept according to a variation in an inclination of the straight line is subtracted.

6. The vehicle lamp control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control portion is adapted to determine the error factor based on a variation in the second axis intercept from which a variation component of the second axis intercept according to a variation in an inclination of the straight line is subtracted.

7. The vehicle lamp control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control portion is adapted to determine the error factor based on a variation in the second axis intercept from which a variation component of the second axis intercept according to a variation in an inclination of the straight line is subtracted.

8. The vehicle lamp control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control portion is adapted to determine the error factor based on a variation in the second axis intercept from which a variation component of the second axis intercept according to a variation in an inclination of the straight line is subtracted.